Robert Rockwell

Dr. Rockwell is a population biologist and ecologist working primarily with migratory birds, polar bears, and saltmarsh ecosystems in the Arctic. His research makes extensive use of models of population and community dynamics. He serves as an advisor to the US and Canadian governments on both endangered and overabundant species.

Ph.D. Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, 1975
M.S. in Biology, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, 1971
B.S. in Biology, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, 1969

Biology 10200 - Biological Foundations I (Spring 2011)
Biology 76005 - Population Ecology (at the Graduate Center)
Biology V1801 - Mathematical Biology (at the Graduate Center)

Dr. Rockwell research centers on the dynamics and ecology of predators and prey in arctic ecosystems.  At the moment, he is focused on polar bears, snow geese and coastal and near-coastal graminoids.  These represent the 3 primary trophic levels in the Hudson Bay lowlands where he has worked for 43 years.

Rockwell, RF, LJ Gormezano and DN Koons.  2011.  Trophic matches and mismatches: Can polar bears reduce the abundance of nesting snow geese in western Hudson Bay?  Oikos (in press).

Alisauskas, RT, RF Rockwell, KW Dufour, EG Cooch, G Zimmermen, KL Drake, JO Leafloor, TJ Moser and E Reed.  2011.  Effect of population reduction efforts on harvest, survival and population growth of Midcontinent lesser snow geese.  Wildlife Monographs (in press).

Hobson, K, C Sharp, RL Jefferies, RF Rockwell and KF Abraham.  2011.  Nutrient allocation strategies to eggs by lesser snow geese at a sub-Arctic colony.  Auk (in press).

Mockrin, M, RF Rockwell, KH Redford and NS Kueler.  2011.  Landscape features determine the distribution and sustainability of ungulate hunting in northern Congo.  Conservation Biology (in press).

Aubry, LM, RF Rockwell and DN Koons.  2010.  Metapopulation dynamics of mid-continent Lesser Snow Geese: Implications for management.  Human Wildlife Conflicts 4:11-32.

Rockwell, RF, K Dufour, E Reed and DN Koons.  2010.  Modeling the Mid-continent Population of Lesser Snow Geese.  In: B. Batt (ed.) Arctic Ecosystems in Peril: Evaluation of Progress.  Arctic Goose Joint Venture, Canadian Wildlife Service, Ottawa and US Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C. (in press).

Dufour, K, RT Alisauskas, RF Rockwell and E Reed.  2010.  Temporal variation in survival and productivity of mid-continent lesser snow geese and its relation to population reduction efforts.  In: B. Batt (ed.) Arctic Ecosystems in Peril: Evaluation of Progress.  Arctic Goose Joint Venture, Canadian Wildlife Service, Ottawa and US Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C. (in press).

Rockwell, RF and LJ Gormezano.  2009.  The early bear gets the goose: climate change, polar bears and lesser snow geese in western Hudson Bay.  Polar Biology 32:539-547.

Rockwell, RF, KF Abraham, CR Witte, P Matulonis, M Usai, D Larsen, F Cooke, D Pollak and RL Jefferies.  2009. The Birds of Wapusk National Park.  Wapusk National Park of Canada Occasional Paper 1:1-47. Parks Canada, Winnipeg.

Gilliland, SG, HG Gilchrist, RF Rockwell, GJ Robertson, J-P Savard, F Merkel and A Mosbech. 2009.  Evaluating the sustainability of harvest among northern Common Eiders in Greenland and Canada. Wildlife Biology 15:24-36.

Rockwell, RF, LJ Gormezano and D Hedmann.  2008.  Grizzly Bears in Wapusk National Park, Northeastern Manitoba. Canadian Field-Naturalist 122(4) (323-326).

Zaikowski,L, KT McDonnell, RF Rockwell and F Rispoli.  2008.  Temporal and spatial variations in dissolved oxygen on New York South Shore Estuary tributaries: Carmans, Patchogue, and Swan Rivers.  Estuaries and Coasts 31:85–100.

Mellor, AA and RF Rockwell.  2006.  Habitat Shifts and parasite loads of Lesser Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens).  Écoscience 13(4):497-502.

Koons, DN, RF Rockwell and JB Grand.  2006.  Population momentum: implications for wildlife management.  Journal of Wildlife Management 70:19-26.

Kajumbula H, RG Wallace, J-C Zong, J Hokello, N Sussman, S Simms, RF Rockwell, R Pozos, GS Hayward and W Boto.  2006.  Ugandan KSHV phylogeny: evidence for cross-ethnic transmission of viral subtypes.  Intervirology 49:133–143.

Pezzanite, B, RF Rockwell, JC Davies, MJJE Loonen and RJ Seguin.  2005.  Has habitat degradation affected foraging behaviour and reproductive success of lesser snow geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens)?  Ecoscience 12:439-446.

Koons, DN, JB Grand, B Zinner and RF Rockwell.  2005.  Transient population dynamics: relations to life history and initial population state.  Ecological Modeling 185:283-297.

Abraham, KF, RL Jefferies, and RF Rockwell. 2005. Goose-induced changes in vegetation and land cover between 1976 and 1997 in an Arctic coastal marsh. Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research 37:269-275.

http://forum.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/people/science-division-directory/rrockwell